Edinburgh teaser!

For the sake of making myself feel more cheerful on tiresome, overcast and rainy days (such as this one here in Wisco), it helps to think about where I'll be going in three months. Ironic, really, as Scotland has a reputation for being cloudy and rainy and cold. Alas, I am in Wisconsin and that is Scotland; this is here and that is there. It makes all the difference.

And I'll be in college! Again! I'll no longer be working at my current jobs, or eating at the same restaurants, driving the same route, or shopping at the same stores. From experience I know it will be easier to set aside how tiresome rain can be.

When I applied for university accommodation a couple months back, this was my first pick:

(photo)

Mylne's Court. It's super close to the art college and right smack in the middle of Old Town. At least as far as I can tell from the map. ;) All of my housing choices were in older buildings, even though the university offers several very modern options. Weighing convenience, location and cost, not to mention character, I went with the older ones. They're just more fun! So we'll see if I end up here, or if another choice wins out.

I spent a good chunk of time yesterday going through all of the technical rigamarole that is the U.S. FAFSA (Federal student aid), so that Edinburgh is free to dispense the loan amounts as soon as they are able. On one hand, it's lovely to know that the U.S. can put up loans for me in order to allow study abroad -- apparently this wasn't the case until 2010, so even if I had wanted to go straight to the UK right after college, it wouldn't have been in the cards no matter how hard I wanted it. On the other hand, however, going through what they call "entrance counseling," where you calculate your projected loans and then your living expenses over the course of the next year (yikes!!), and then calculate how much you should earn afterward in order to repay your student loans... well... Let's just say it's been knocked into my head that there will be NO SLACKING after this year is over. And this might be a good time to mention that I won't be slacking during the year either. ;)

Taking each little step one at a time...

Days to Edinburgh move-in: 102